Chapter 61: Stepsister’s Situation

[Midoriko PoV]

Meanwhle, Okaya Midoriko has someone she loves.

　She loves her brother ……, her stepbrother.

　But she knows that it is an unacceptable love.

　That’s why …….

　The two people who are freely in love …… disgusting.

　After my brother dropped me off at school …….

　I was in the gymnasium, busy with club activities.

　I’m on the basketball team.

　In the gymnasium, the members of the same club are chasing the ball.

“Midoriko!”

　A ball flew towards me in the court.

　It was the vice-captain.

　We’re having a mock game.

” Opportunity!　Shoot shoot!”

　I stand on the outside of the three-point line.

　The opponent has not noticed me.

　It’s a perfect chance to shoot.

　I bend my knees deeply and shot my ball

　The moment the ball leaves my fingertips, …….

Crap, I thought.

　The ball I threw was bounced into the ring.

“…………”.

　There was no way I was going to miss it…….

“Midoriko!”

The vice-captain, ……【Sahoto Suwa】, taps my back.

“Don’t worry! Change change!”

After being cheered up by Saoto, I realized.

　Oh …… I heard she’s pretty shocked …….

　After a while.

“Midoriko~ What happened to you today?”

　In the club room.

　After practice, I and the others were changing clothes.

　There are only two of us in the club room now, me and Saho.

“…… What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

“I had a feeling you had a lot on your mind.”

　…… It seems that Saoto knows exactly what is going on.

“You should talk to this Sahoto-sama, Midoriko-chan’s childhood friend.”

　Sahoto and I have been together since elementary school through high school.

　The same school, the same club, for ten years.

　If we’ve been together for ten years, does she even notice the subtleties of my heart?

“…… Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Okay!”

　I locked the door to the club room and sat down on the couch in the middle of the room.

” …… My brother has a girl.”

“EEH!?　Didn’t …… your brother just break up with someone the other day?”

“…… Yes. But he did. But now there are two”

“Two?!　What do you mean?!”

　…… Of course she was surprised.

　I was surprised myself. Really …….

　And I don’t have to tell her that they are the same age as me.

　I don’t want to degrade my brother’s social status in any way.

” Haa…..Pretty handsome, Onii-chan. has always been populair. Come to think of it, he was always good-looking and popular, you know.”

“……Eh?　No way, seriously?”

　I thought I was the only one who noticed my brother’s good looks.

“Yes yes. But see, there was that woman, right?　What was her name again, ……?”

“…… old lady Misae.”

“Yes, Misae!　Hey, you cannot say old lady!

　Saoto has been nagging me for a long time. …… Well, it’s annoying.

“Misae, she has been dating your brother for quite some time now, right?”

“…… Yes. Since high school.”

“Anyway why was he going out with her?”

“…………”

　It’s an annoying experience that I still remember.

　That’s why I don’t want to say …….

　But…. I wonder if it would be easier if I tell her …….

“…… When my brother was a sophomore in high school, there was a car accident.”

“A car accident?”

“…… Yeah. Well, it was an attempt”

　In the spring of his sophomore year in high school, …….

　As he was walking to school, he saw Misae walking with her phone in her hand.

　She tried to cross the street without noticing the red light.

　Then …….

“Eh, did a car accidentally run her over and killed her?”

“No, ……. My brother saved her.”

　The truck attacked Misae.

　The woman couldn’t move.

　My brother pushed to save Misae.

　As a result, Misae was badly injured ……, or rather, she didn’t die.

　But …….

“……Then old lday Misae hit her hard on the face.”

“Yeah, she fell and hit her face on the ground.”

“…… And she lost a lot of blood. She was taken to the hospital.”

　The injury was not serious at all …….

　But …….

　I remember it.

　I was only five years old at the time, but I remember it.

　I remember my brother being yelled at …… in the hospital room.

[“What are you doing!?　You’ve scarred my daughter’s face!”]

　Misae’s father was scolding my brother.

“He is so cruel! He saved her life! So why should you be angry with me?”

“… Because he inflicted a lifelong wound on the woman’s face.”

“Was it that bad?”

“…… No. It was just a little cut on the skin. It healed quickly and beautifully. ……, but it caused a deep wound in my brother’s heart, at that time.”

　The face is one of the most important weapons for a woman.

　Misae …… well, she had a beautiful face.

　It made her father even more angry.

　He said that he scratched his daughter’s beautiful face.

“…… My brother became like a slave to that woman after that.”

“Eh, why ……?”

“……I guess he felt guilty for hurting Misae’s grandmother. The old lady got carried away, and used him like a slave, doing this and that.”

　And that’s how they started dating.

“…… From old lady Misae’s point of view, I think she was lucky to have a slave of convenience. My brother feels indebted to her, so he does whatever she tells him.”

　In fact, from school homework, to teaching her how to study for exams, to picking her up and dropping her off in the morning and evening.

　My brother really followed that woman like a slave.

“But …… marriage, your brother asked Misae to marry him, didn’t he?”

” …… He was induced to think. It’s called mind control. He said that without his presence, Misae would be useless. ……”

　…… To be honest, I couldn’t watch my brother when he was in college.

　He should have wanted to achieve his own dreams as well, but because of the curse of Misae, he was completely dragged down.

　If …… that moment.

　If my brother had not saved Misae, …….

　Everything would have been fine.

　My brother would not have been a slave to that woman.

Then I can…..

“I see. …… Midoriko is worried about him right?”

　Sahoto pulled her polo shirt over her head.

“I just wanted to make sure he doesn’t fall for another bad girl.”

　I was looking at Sahoto with a perplexed expression, I think.

“……w-why?”

　Even though she hadn’t said that much, Sahoto said it as if she was looking into my mind.

“Hahaha!　Don’t underestimate your childhood friend.”

　Sahoto said to me with a serious face.

“You don’t really hate your brother’s girlfriend, do you? Before, Aunt Misae ruined your brother’s life, so you’re worried that the same tragedy will happen again, aren’t you?”

　…… I really don’t know why she can always guess exactly what I’m thinking.

“…… It’s disgusting.”

“No, thank you very much. I think I could be a great detective.”

　After we finished changing, we left the club room together.

　We locked the door and walked out of the gym.

　The hot and humid summer air hit us with a whirlpool …….

“But,……, Midoriko. That’s just prejudice. You know, your brother’s girlfriend might be a nice person, right?”

“…… Impossible.”

　Common sense tells me that there is no way JK would date a 29-year-old.

　They are more than 10 years apart in age.

　It is a crime to think of it as a normal thing. …… Above all, there is no way they can be the object of romantic interest.

　And yet, the Akari, Nanako slipped into my brother’s side …… and heart …… with ease.

I get it…..

　My brother is letting those two into his heart.

　Of course, it’s …… disgusting that the heart of …… my brother, whom I love so much, was so easily stolen by a random woman.

　But more than that, I’m …… worried.

　I’m afraid that my brother is being deceived by a bad woman again. ……

“So, Midoriko’s feelings towards her are not disgust, but hostility.”

“…… Well, she pisses me off.”

“But, you know, …… there’s a chance that she’s not a bad woman like Grandma Misae, right?

“…… Well, yeah.”

　Sahoto looked into my face and said.

“Maybe you should stop looking at things with prejudice.　Don’t just assume she’s the enemy.”

　…… Certainly, not all of them are nasty women like that old lady.

　Maybe she’s a good person, like Sahoto, who can help me with my problems.

　I don’t know …… anything about those women.

“Don’t be so cruel when you don’t know what you’re talking about. It would be better to make an effort to understand a little. That was the advice from Sahoto and Paisen (senpai)”

　Sahoto pushes my back.

“Well, I don’t want to bother you, so I’ll be going now.”

“……Bother?”

“Look, over there.”

“…..Ah”

　My brother was standing a short distance from the school gate.

　…… He came to pick me up.

As he promised…..

“Midoriko-chan, you look so happy.”

“…… Eh, really?”

“Yes. Your face is all melted up. Cute♡.”

“…… Ugh.”

　I can’t let my brother see such a foolish side of me.

　E-Embarrassing …….

“Anyway… Don’t get into another fight with your brother’s girlfriend, okay?　Everyone get along!　Bye.”

　Sahoto runs, shaking her enamel bag.

“…………”

　My childhood friend i was right.

　I took the liberty of assuming that those two were evil women, that they were my enemies, and that they did terrible things to my brother.

　I hadn’t even considered the possibility of what might have been if they hadn’t.

“Welcome home.”

　My brother greeted me.

　His face was so much clearer than it had been when he was dating …… old lady Misae.

　I could see it in his eyes.

　Because we are family. Because …… I’ve always loved you.

“…… Onii-chan. When we get home, let me and Akari talk to eachother, alone.

“That’s …… why?”

“Because …… I want to apologize.”

　And because I want to know.

　I want to know about those women and about my …… rivals.

“Okay. I understand.”

　My brother went to the driver’s seat and I sat in the passenger seat.

　Pon….He patted my head

“That’s great of you, apologizing.”

　……Geez, don’t ever treat me like a child forever.

“…… Onii-chan you idiot”

　But ……, you know

　It’s very comforting to be treated in such an unreserved manner. ……

　I really like the way my brother praises me when I do something. ……

　I know that these feelings are the kind of feelings that I shouldn’t have.

　But I can’t stop myself from falling in love with my …… brother.

　I’m sorry, brother. ……

　I really love my brother.